Various powered floor cleaning machines are known in the art, including those in which the operator is standing on the floor and walking behind the machine (“walk-behind” machines), those in which the operator is sitting on the machine (“ride-on” machines), and those in which the operator is standing on the machine (“stand-on” machines).
Ride-on machines are common in the market for cleaning larger areas.
The marketplace desires on the one hand a floor cleaning machine that is capable of cleaning close to a wall, shelf or other boundary area. Fulfilling this need requires that the apparatus have a considerable offset of the cleaning unit, i.e. that the effective cleaning reach of the cleaning assembly of the apparatus extend from the basic footprint of the apparatus itself so that the edges of the floor can be cleaned.
Another desire of the marketplace is a floor cleaning machine that is capable of passing through relatively narrow slots or spaces, e.g. the “check-out” area of a store or other industrial or commercial building, or the narrow entrances to service areas of a building.
Efforts have been made to address these requirements.
One approach is to provide a floor cleaning machine with a cleaning unit with a variable working width. In normal operation, a large working width is employed, but a narrower width can be used that permits the machine to pass through relatively narrow slots or spaces, e.g. check-out areas when needed. Unfortunately, such a system is accompanied by several disadvantages. The mechanical elements of the variable working width cleaning unit are susceptible to exposure to dirt and water; the system is complex; and accessibility for purposes of maintenance is poor. This can lead to a cleaning apparatus with relatively low reliability, and relatively high investment and maintenance costs.
Another need in the marketplace is to link the cleaning unit to the steering mechanism of the machine. One commercial approach has been to attach a cleaning unit directly to the steering axle of the steering mechanism so that turning a steering wheel also turns the cleaning unit. One disadvantage of this approach is that it offers no capability to incorporate a transition ratio between the degree of turn of the steering wheel, and the degree of turn of the cleaning unit.
It would be desirable to have available a floor cleaning machine that provides an offset cleaning mode that offers the capability of cleaning edge areas close to walls, etc., but also a non-offset cleaning mode that enables the machine to pass through relatively narrow slots or spaces.
It would be desirable to have available a floor cleaning machine that provides a mechanism that links the cleaning unit to the steering mechanism of the machine, so that the cleaning unit reorients its position in synchronization with the path of travel of the apparatus, and offers the capability to incorporate a transition ratio between the degree of turn of the steering wheel, and the degree of turn of the cleaning unit.
It would be desirable to have available a floor cleaning machine that provides both an offset and non-offset cleaning mode, while at the same time providing a mechanism that links the cleaning unit to the steering mechanism of the machine.
It would be also be desirable in some cases to have available a floor cleaning machine that additionally provides a cleaning unit with the capability, whether in the off-set cleaning mode or non-offset cleaning mode, of moving in response to contact with an obstacle.
It would be additionally desirable in some cases to have available a floor cleaning machine that does not require a cleaning unit with a variable working width, but instead provides a cleaning unit with a fixed working width.